A group of education workers on Monday, Oct. 10, challenged the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as well as the leadership of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte to “match, if not outdo” the record of the former President Benigno Aquino III administration when it comes to building new classrooms for public schools.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines issued this challenge noting the “lack of strategic solution” of Marcos as well as the “faulty quick fixes” to classroom shortage by the Department of Education (DepED) led by Duterte in a concurrent capacity.

Duterte, ACT said, is claiming the reopening of schools as her top achievement during her first 100 days in office. “This is unfounded as what is more glaring now is the schools’ inability to do just that despite the DepEd’s band-aid solution to classroom shortage,” said ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua.

READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/07/deped-cites-major-accomplishments-in-first-100-days-under-vp-secretary-sara/

Citing data from the DepED, the group pointed out that 102,484 classrooms and school laboratories were completed in the last three years of the Aquino administration with a total allocation of P160.27 billion for classroom construction from 2014 to 2016.

ACT, however, noted that only 48,487 classrooms and laboratories were completed in the first three fiscal years of the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte despite increased allocations, totaling P208.46 billion for classroom construction from 2017 to 2019.

“The government’s performance in classroom construction further dwindled in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic, while the 2023 proposed budget only allots P 5.9 billion for the construction of a mere 2,379 classrooms and laboratories,” ACT noted.

DepEd, the group said, has been presenting “various problematic solutions” such as shifting, temporary learning spaces, and blended learning that “do not really solve” the lack of classrooms.

“Wala tayong naririnig na malinaw na plano para sa maramihang pagtatayo ng mga classrooms na siya naman talagang solusyon sa problema (We do not hear a clear plan for the construction of multiple classrooms which is really solution to the problem),” Quetua said.

“Bakit hindi man lamang ambisyunin ng bagong administrasyon na matapatan o malampasan pa ang nagawa ng gobyernong Aquino III sa pagpapatayo ng classroom sa gitna ng matinding kakulangan dito (Why can't the new administration at least aspire to match or surpass what the Aquino III government did in building classrooms amid the severe shortage?,” he added.

To resolve the ongoing education crisis in the country, ACT noted that the Marcos-Duterte administration should fund the construction of classrooms to fill the growing shortage.

“Ang edukasyon ng mga mag-aaral ang nasasakripisyo sa ganitong kalagayan, hindi tayo makakabangon sa krisis sa edukasyon hangga’t hindi ito nareresolba (The education of the students is being sacrificed in this situation, we will not be able to recover from the education crisis until it is resolved,” he added.